2 days ago
Blackburn Rovers are readying to salary their women’s squad players salaries of conscionable £9,000-a-year for nan upcoming season.
Mail Sport tin uncover nan Women’s Championship club has a subordinate fund of conscionable £100,000 and will salary their squad nan UK minimum wage, which is £11.44 for those aged 21 and over.
It is understood players will run connected contracts of 16 hours per week, pinch training taking spot from Wednesday-Saturday, pinch games connected Sunday’s.
Mail Sport besides understands nan 16 hours will not facet successful recreation for distant fixtures and imaginable overnight stays for games further afield.
The nine saw 10 players depart pursuing nan expiry of their contracts past week.
Blackburn's women's players will only beryllium paid nan UK minimum costs adjacent season
They are owned by Venky's, represented by Venkatesh Rao (left) and Balaji Rao (centre), who are nether investigation successful India complete a taxation dispute
Blackburn are owned by Venky’s, who person been nether investigation successful India complete a taxation conflict pinch nan Government since past year. The club’s financial business has been precarious successful caller months.
Last summer, they had to petition Dehli’s precocious tribunal to let them to nonstop £26million to Venky’s London Limited, Blackburn’s genitor company, successful bid for nan nine to salary their taxation measure and different payments successful nan UK.
Blackburn has a rich | history successful nan women’s game, pinch England stars Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway having travel done nan academy, while Ella Toone besides spent clip on-loan there.
The nine did not wish to remark connected nan matter erstwhile contacted by Mail Sport.
Last week Reading withdrew their women’s squad from nan Championship owed to financial pressures crossed nan club.
There had been fears nan nine would beryllium scrapped altogether, but they will alternatively play successful nan fifth-tier adjacent season.
Owner Dai Yongge has put Reading up for sale, but nan nine said they would not beryllium capable to meet nan criteria to compete successful nan 2nd tier of nan women’s crippled without a ‘cash injection.’
‘The nine understand nan demotion to Tier 5 will travel arsenic a immense disappointment for each connected pinch nan club,’ Reading said successful a statement.
‘Unfortunately, fixed nan existent economical realities of nan club, nan outlay required to scope these levels are conscionable not imaginable without important proprietor funding.’
Reading proprietor Dai Yongge (right) withdrew nan club's women's squad from nan Championship past week
Yongge has put Reading up for waste pursuing protestation from fans astatine men's games past season
The nine added that they would not spot a ‘direct financial return’ from investing successful their women’s squad for ‘at slightest 5 years’.
The Football Association will manus complete nan moving of nan apical 2 tiers of women’s shot to a caller institution (NewCo) this season.
The Women’s Championship licence has not yet been approved for nan 2024-2025 campaign, but location are a number of projected changes.
This includes accrued interaction hours and a minimum number of contracted players per club, but this does not represent arsenic a full-time set-up.
Licence requirements are minimum standards of master shot and are formulated pinch clubs to guarantee players are supported and protected, pinch their use connected and disconnected nan transportation being of nan utmost priority.
Because nan licence requirements are not yet approved, nary financial accusation from clubs has been submitted, but clubs are legislated to salary players nationalist minimum wage.
When nan licence for 2024-2025 is confirmed, nan convention will activity collaboratively pinch clubs connected their individual models to fulfil nan requirements accordingly.
